1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to methods and devices for the attachment of a tendon or ligament structure to bone and/or a prosthetic implant (such as a joint replacement device). In particular, the methods and devices use a clamping strategy employing soft tissue healing to a porous metal clamp.
2. Description of the Related Art
Surgical techniques in which a tendon is fixed directly to bone have been successful in achieving a strong tendon-bone attachment in selected circumstances. However, when tendon is directly fixed to metallic implants, weak fixation and mechanical failure under physiologic loading have been observed.
It has been shown that porous tantalum can function as a soft-tissue attachment and repair biomaterial. In “Direct Tendon Attachment and Healing to Porous Tantalum: An Experimental Animal Study”, The Journal Of Bone And Joint Surgery, 2007; 89:1000-9, an animal model was used to demonstrate the potential utility of porous metals to achieve healing of tendon directly to a porous metallic device. Example ligament attachment devices can also be found in U.S. Pat. No. 7,208,222 and U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2007/0162022.
Still, there exists a need for improved methods and devices for the attachment of a tendon or ligament structure to bone or a prosthetic implant.